I don't think there is a cheese that my father doesn't like. He once received a pungent, powerfully-smelly Italian cheese from a friend; he described it as: "Good. Very tasty. With the smell though, you could never serve it for company, but if it's just for close family, yeah, it's good."

It certainly didn't stop him, or my family, from eating it.

At my house we ate a lot of cheese -- as a appetizer, on dishes, after dinner, or just for a snack. Unlike Reggiano-Parmesan and Grana Padano, brie was not a staple cheese growing up, but it's a staple in our refrigerator now.

In fact, there is currently a wheel of brie made from goat's milk in my refrigerator courtesy of Steve at Ile de France, (he has no idea how happy he has made Jeff). It has a remarkably silky texture and pleasingly tart flavor.

Though most typically served as an appetizer with crackers and cured meats, or baked into a puff pastry, brie is quite versatile. It enlivens paninis, enriches pastas, and makes delectable crostini and quesadillas. For a rustic dessert, pair it with nuts and fresh fruit such as grapes, figs, dates, and pears.

My first Brie Quesadilla was devoured somewhere in Arizona, and it is truly an indulgence that is impossible to resist. Since I love cheese, I use Brie with the rind intact, but if you like a smoother taste, I recommend Alouette Crème de Brie spreadable cheese- either the original or fine herbs style.

If you are making a grilled Brie sandwich, sour dough bread is perfect, if you making quesadillas use corn tortillas.

My dad wasn’t much of a cook! He even burned the bacon. His idea of making baked beans was to put them in a pan of boiling water – in the can with the top still on. This might actually work, although the only time I remember him doing it, he forgot about them, the water boiled down, the can exploded (EXPLODED!!!), luckily no one was in the kitchen at the time, and a lot of the baked beans flew up to the ceiling and rested there. I do not remember if my mother thought this was funny.

He was a great barbeq-uer but that’s a different story.

He, also, had a ridiculously high metabolism and ate more than anyone in the family practically until his dying day, (seemingly without much of a weight problem, or cholesterol problem, I might add.) When we were little, he used to get up in the middle of the night sometimes, wake one of us, and we’d tiptoe down to the kitchen for a slice of home-made pie or chocolate cake OR Dad’s one and only specialty not cooked on a grill -- although curiously with grill in its title -- grilled cheese sandwiches.

My dad had a theory that one of the reasons people wake up in the middle of the night is because they’re hungry, so if you ate a piece of pie or cake or a grilled cheese sandwich (preferably with a glass of milk), you would fall right back to sleep. Note: I have not tested this theory since childhood.

Lunches for me have been a mixed bag of sorts, I'm never sure what to eat, and I'm not always satisfied with what I get. But the sandwich shop near my workplace always seems to have the right sandwich for me. It's my standby.

'Wichcraft, pretty much a chain restaurant in New York City, in my opinion, has the best pressed sandwiches, among them the grilled Gruyère and caramelized onions. It is just mouthwateringly good with its oozy cheese and sweet caramelized onions. Whenever I need a comfort food fix, I always seem to gravitate toward this sandwich. It's simple and it always hits the spot. I've decided to come up with my own personalized version.

My version of this popular sandwich includes ham, for extra flavor. I use a panini press to make the sandwich, but you can also use a regular skillet, and just simply weight the sandwich with a foil-wrapped brick between flips. The caramelized onions can be prepared a day in advance, making this lunch come together even faster. Use either Gruyère or Emmental cheese for the best results in both flavor and texture.

I had a restaurant in Kansas City in the 90’s and one of the most popular items was this version of macaroni and cheese. The key to a good mac and cheese is the timing. Don’t add the sauce to the noodles until you are ready to pop it in the oven and serve it as soon as you can when you take it out of the oven. Despite its popularity with school cafeterias, it is not a dish that holds well. The pasta absorbs the sauce and you end up with sticky, dry noodles.

There are two types of cheesecake in the world: coarse-textured Italian cheesecake made with ricotta cheese, and the smooth and creamy New York–style cheesecake made with cream cheese and sour cream. If you’re a New York Irish family, you go for the New York–style. Ours has a blue topping in honor of the NYPD and their uniforms—see below for the recipe.

This cheesecake is silky smooth with a melt-on-your-tongue texture. We make our crust with walnuts in addition to the classic graham crackers, which give it a crunchier, slightly more interesting taste and texture. The secret to a crack-free New York–style cheesecake is a water bath underneath the cake while baking. Bake it carefully, and this super-creamy dessert will look as beautiful as it tastes. Serves 6 to 8

This is a great gift book. Tiny, brilliant, evocative, beautiful photographs, wonderful stories. Read at home and get lost in a century-old Paris that still exists today or take with you on a trip to Paris.......

The cookbook that made people think even dimwits were excellent cooks and 25 years later, it’s still moderne. Decadent Chocolate Cake, Marbella chicken, it’s that little extra something they always add, whether it’s raisins to the stuffing or olives to the chicken, that just makes things seems a little extra-ordinary and all you have to do is follow the incredibly easy to read and prepare recipes.

If we didn’t live in New York or LA (or Tokyo or London), we would have to make something from this cookbook at least once every two weeks, even if we did have to ship some of the ingredients in by mail order. But it’s the concept of the fusion of the East and West that he does in a way that no one else does, fascinating to read and to experiment with.

In a bowl, mix together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, white pepper and cloves. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beat until well combined. Form dough into a large flat ball, wrap in plastic, and chill 4 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Scoop out a teaspoon of dough and roll between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip the base of a drinking glass with a 2- to 3-inch diameter in flour (to prevent sticking). Press down hard on each round of dough with base of glass to form rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Dip glass in flour as often as necessary. If desired, use a dry, clean pastry brush to remove excess flour from cookies.

Sprinkle a tiny bit of turbinado sugar on tops of unbaked cookies; bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp. Put on a wire rack to let cool.

Sprinkle 2 cups of the chopped pecans evenly over the bottoms of 3 buttered 9-inch round cake pans, shaking to coat the bottoms and sides of the pans.

Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.

Beat the butter and shortening in a mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar gradually. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, mixing well after each addition and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the remaining 1 cup pecans.

Beat the egg whites in a mixer bowl at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert onto waxed paper-lined wire racks. Brush the tops and sides of the layers with corn syrup, Cool completely.

Whisk the brown sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, egg yolks, half-and-half and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Place a sheet of waxed paper on the surface of the mixture. Chill for 4 hours.

Place 1 cake layer pecan side up on a serving plate. Spread with half the Pecan Pie Filling. Place the second cake layer pecan side up on the filling. Spread with the remaining Pecan Pie Filling. Place the third layer pecan side up on the filling.

Combine flour, sugar and lemon zest, and make a well in the center. Add egg yolk, butter and vanilla extract. Work quickly to blend well, adding water if needed to make it stick together. Wrap in wax paper and chill for 1 hour. Roll out 1/8-inch thick and place over the greased bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Trim. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool.

Butter the sides and place over base. Roll the remaining dough 1/8-inch thick and line sides of pan. Fill with filling.

Combine flour, sugar and lemon zest, and make a well in the center. Add egg yolk, butter and vanilla extract. Work quickly to blend well, adding water if needed to make it stick together. Wrap in wax paper and chill for 1 hour. Roll out 1/8-inch thick and place over the greased bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Trim. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool.

Butter the sides and place over base. Roll the remaining dough 1/8-inch thick and line sides of pan. Fill with filling.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

This pie is great with a traditional pie crust or graham cracker gingersnap or chocolate cookie pie crust. To make a cookie crust, combine 1 3/4 cups cookie or cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Pat into the pie pan, and bake in a preheated 325° F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin mixture until it is dissolved. Stir in the orange zest and pour the mixture into a large bowl. Refrigerate just until mixture becomes cool and syrupy, about 30 minutes.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and whip until slightly stiffer peaks form. In another bowl, whip the cream just until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture, then fold in half the whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Spoon the remaining whipped cream on top.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. With a big spoon, scoop the batter onto the griddle, use about ¼ cup for each pancake (or less for smaller pancakes). Flip when bubbles appear at the top. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

But, if you have time, the secret to truly great! pancakes is to separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold them into the batter. Use two eggs, add only one egg yolk to batter, toss the other. Beat the two egg whites in a bowl with a little salt until soft peaks form and gently fold them into the mixed batter.

Serve with melted butter and warm maple syrup. An easy way to heat maple syrup is to gently boil water in a saucepan and put the bottle of maple syrup upright into the pan for a few minutes. (only do this with glass bottles!)

Heat oil and add onion and saute for a few minutes until translucent.
Add the can of tomatoes and garlic and crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Cook down over a medium flame for about 15-20 minutes and add salt and pepper and red pepper.

Boil spaghetti. When it's almost done, turn on flame under tomatoes and add mint, arugola and crushed nuts. Just before serving add pecorino.

Drain pasta reserving some of the pasta water in casse you need it to loosen the pasta. Toss with the sauce.

Melt milk, chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Add vanilla and flour and blend until smooth again. While still warm, drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet ( I use air cushioned and it works best)

Bake at 350° F for 8 to 12 minutes. You have to watch them so they don’t burn.

Melt milk, chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Add vanilla and flour and blend until smooth again. While still warm, drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet ( I use air cushioned and it works best)

Bake at 350° F for 8 to 12 minutes. You have to watch them so they don’t burn.